Jarred Brooks ‘super excited’ to unify strawweight gold in inevitable trilogy with Joshua Pacio
Jarred Brooks is "super excited" to unify his interim strawweight MMA world title with Joshua Pacio's undisputed strap—though he could be waiting a while.
After coming up short against Brooks at ONE 164 in Manilla, the two ran it back 15 months later at ONE 166: Qatar. Despite going into the bout with a knee injury, Pacio left Lusail Sports Arena with the gold once again wrapped around his waist after being accidentally spiked on the top of his head in the opening minute of their ONE 166 rematch.
Jarred Brooks was promptly disqualified, surrendering his strawweight crown to Pacio in the process.
Fortunately, Pacio avoided any serious injuries to his neck but later discovered that the damage to his knee was far greater than originally thought. As it turned out, 'The Passion' tore his ACL, requiring him to undergo surgery.
With Pacio likely out until 2025, ONE Championship introduced an interim strawweight MMA world title at ONE Fight Night 24 between former champion Jarred Brooks and Cuban fan favorite Gustavo Balart.
After scoring a first-round submission over Balart to win the interim strawweight belt at Lumpinee Stadium, Jarred Brooks shared his excitement over running it back with Pacio for a third time.
"I don't know how big the ACL tear was, but I'm super excited to go against Joshua Pacio again," Brooks said at the post-fight press conference. "He's a great Christian, a great person, and a great fighter."
Jarred Brooks eager to lock in Demetrious Johnson dream fight on the global stage
As excited as Jarred Brooks is to close the book on his long-standing feud with Joshua Pacio, there's one man on the ONE Championship roster that he wants more than anyone - reigning ONE flyweight MMA world champion Demetrious Johnson.
Immediately following his win over Balart in Bangkok, Brooks called for a clash with 'Mighty Mouse' and later added to his statement, suggesting he is the only fight that makes sense for Johnson's return to the Circle.
"Now, I think that God gives me signs and getting into ONE Championship and getting the accolades, where I am now, where Demetrious is now. Now we kind of have [almost] a common opponent between Gustavo.
"I think it would be a great matchup between me and him. Reece McLaren, he's boring. All these other guys at flyweight, they're pretty boring. Kairat, he ruined his chance by doing steroids, by cheating. I'm not a cheater."
With Pacio sidelined, is Brooks vs. Johnson the fight to make?
Fans in North America can watch the ONE Fight Night 24 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.